Hwicce

Hwicce was an Anglo-Saxon tribal kingdom which existed from 577 until the 780s, with Worcester serving as its capital. Its name means "chest", referring to the appearance of the flat-bottomed valley bordered by the Cotswolds and Malvern Hills. The materials used to make baskets by the residents of the kingdom was named "wicker" after the kingdom. Hwicce was established following the Battle of Deorham, in which the Saxons of Wessex defeated an outnumbered Welsh army and established a new kingdom on their lands. After the 628 Battle of Cirencester, Hwicce became a vassal of Mercia, and it had assimilated into Mercia by the 780s.